POLITICS is a lot like the stage. Many would say the professions are too close for comfort.

In both, timing is important. Get that wrong and the cheers turn to catcalls.

So, I am putting as much thought and work into stopping being the directly elected mayor of Middlesbrough as I did into running for office.

I stood for mayor as I believed it was the right thing to do, for me, but more importantly for Middlesbrough. By voting by a sizeable majority to switch to the directly-elected mayoral system and by voting for me in 2002, 2007 and 2011, most people showed they thought the same. We have often disagreed, but for those moments of consensus, I will always be grateful.

Now it’s right for me to go.

In May 2015, I will be nearly 60. It will be time to for me to do something different and time for someone with new ideas to begin work. Politicians always stay too long, waiting for the encore that never comes.

People will speculate about my plans and motives. Let them get on with it. I have many better things to do.

In one way, I will leave Middlesbrough as I found it – a work in progress. That is what all our great towns and cities are. Every day in my in-tray I find new tasks and challenges.

It might be the fabric of the town centre, the growing elderly population, the impact of the recession. Each challenge is different.

But none can be ignored.

When a town stops responding to challenges, its existence as a living community, embodying local pride and aspirations for a better life, has lost its meaning.

Middlesbrough is a long way from that. In terms of self-belief and self-confidence, we are far better placed than we were a decade ago. There is plenty to build on.

Renewal is at the heart of what I suppose I must call my exit strategy. It has two strands and they came together this week in the council chamber where we decided to hold a fresh referendum on whether to continue with the mayoral system after 2015.

We must have this debate. In 2001 at the first referendum, people turned out in great numbers because they were given a chance to decide how their communities and town governed themselves.

Democracy is a partnership based on dialogue.

In public life as in private, relationships break down when people stop talking.

It’s time to debate how the town will be governed for the foreseeable future.

Again, I am sure people will see the result as a judgement on my performance. Well so be it, but I would rather it was about the future, what’s best for Middlesbrough, what system will equip it for the challenges ahead.

Make no mistake, those challenges are immense, and councils will face them at a time when public finances are in meltdown.

That is why the terms of reference of the debate are so important. The new system must be democratic and accountable, but it must also be dynamic, allowing the council to respond to challenges rapidly and decisively.

A system that is long on talk, short on action would carry no credibility. I am satisfied that whichever option people choose, it will give them a workable, sustainable council.

By then, I’ll be one of the audience, not the cast. I won’t be one of those customers who is always booing and shouting for his money back. I’ll be generous with my applause, because I am still pretty sure that Middlesbrough will give us something to cheer about.